Moto2 Portugal Portimao Race: Aron Canet masters his subject

The weekend kicks off in Portimao (Portugal), and also marks the return of the competition to Europe. After a well-contested Qatar Grand Prix in Moto2, some must confirm their good form, while others wish to bounce back after an unsuccessful start to the season. Two weeks ago, Alonso Lopez won the event ahead of Barry Baltus and Sergio Garcia, while Tony Arbolino and Fermin Aldeguer both missed the top 10. 

Before we begin, here is a table which summarizes the known facts:

 

Moto2™ Portimao	2023	2024
P1	1'43.046 Jake Dixon	1'44.900 Manuel Gonzalez
P2	1'42.391 Pedro Acosta	1'42.362 Alonso Lopez
P3	1'42.003 Arón Canet	1'41.716 Manuel Gonzalez
Q1	1'42.965 Tony Arbolino	1'42.064 Somkiat Chantra
Q2	1'42.323 Filip Salač	1'41.514 Manuel Gonzalez
Course	Acosta, Canet, Arbolino (See here)	Canet, Roberts, Gonzalez
All time lap record	1'42.003 Arón Canet 2023	1'41.514 Manuel Gonzalez

Starting from pole position for the first time in Moto2, Manuel Gonzalez was unable to contain Fermin Aldeguer at the first braking, and found himself relegated to fourth position, behind Alonso lopez et Ai Ogura, equipped with the Boscoscuro chassis.

The Leader was, however, penalized for having stolen his start and had to perform a double Long Lap which destroyed his chances of victory, and propelled Lopez at the head of the event.

In control of the race, the No. 21 fails to build a comfortable gap, and Canet quickly returns to him, carrying Gonzalez et Ogura in its wake.

During each of the first two passages, Aron Canet gets scared and loses the lead twice before regaining control of his machine. Tony Arbolino et Barry Baltus made an excellent start to the race, gaining 3 and 4 positions respectively during the first turns. They then rank 9th and 12th.

At the halfway mark, Ai Ogura loses rhythm and is successively overtaken by Joe Roberts et Albert Arenas who take the opportunity to get back to the leading trio. While Lopez resists the attacks of his opponents, he falls in sector 4 and is relegated to the end of the peloton. Canet, who has shown excellent pace for a few laps, is then favorite for victory.

For its part, Aldeguer continues the qualifying rounds and defeats his competitors with impressive ease. With 9 laps to go from the checkered flag, the Spaniard is sixth – just over two seconds behind the leader – and looks like he could secure a podium.

The No. 54, however, found resistance and struggled to overtake Ogura. However, the Japanese went sideways on the last lap and Aldeguer took 4th place in which he finished the race.

In front, Aron Canet flies to a first victory in Moto2, Joe Roberts is second, while Manuel Gonzalez painfully defends his third position to claim a podium.

Note the fall of Xavi Cardelus in the middle of the event. Ayumu Sasaki will do the same a few loops later.

Aron Canet, winner of the Portuguese Moto2 GP:

“We managed the degradation of the tires well to arrive on this last lap with something to attack. I can't believe it, it's the result of several years of work. Today there were three people on my motorcycle, my grandfather, and my wife's grandfather. They look at me from up there and I dedicate this victory to them. »

Moto2 Portugal – Race classification:

credit ranking: MotoGP.com